In the latest SB Nation NFL Power Rankings, the Denver Broncos remained at No. 32 for a second week in a row. A 39-23 loss on the road to the Raiders will do that to a team. But Tim Tebow look OK out there and provided a glimpse of what he can do. At this point, it's not about winning or losing (though the players certainly care about that); it's about what what players can do to prove they belong with the Broncos going forward. With two games to play, Tebow is at the top of the list to impress people, because a new coach is not necessarily beholden to keeping the young quarterback to build around.
The Arizona Cardinals, who beat the Broncos two weeks ago, fell to No. 31 after they lost to the Carolina Panthers, who picked up their second win of the season. The Panthers improved one spot to No. 30. The Cincinnati Bengals also won a game and moved up to No. 29. The Detroit Lions made a huge jump (at least for them) from No. 29 to No. 25 after winning their second game in a row. The Detroit Lions are doing better than the Broncos--who'd have thought it possible?
In the AFC West, the Raiders checked in at the bottom of the middle third of the rankings, but actually fell one spot. As Joel Thorman asks, does a two-touchdown victory over the Broncos mean much these days? The Kansas Chiefs are No. 11 and need only to win their last two games to make it into the playoffs without any tiebreakers. The San Diego Chargers stayed at No. 9 this week and need Chiefs to lose one game to have a chance at the playoffs.
The New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons remained first and second in this week's rankings.
Can the Broncos escape the bottom in next week's rankings?